Note-sheet guide for piano-players.



W, T. WAITE.

NOTE SHEET GUIDE FOR PIANO PLAYERS.

APPLICATION FILED AUGjZ, 1911.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

the holding roll and the winding roll by the WILLIAM T. WAITE, OF KANSAS CITY, Il'IISSG'L THE ORPHEOLA COME ASSIGNMENTS, TO RATION OF INDIANA.

NOTE-SHEET GUIDE 5'03,

oseses.

- Application filed To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM T. Warns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Note-Sheet Guides for Piano-Players, of which the following is a specification.

This invention rela s to note sheet guides for piano players, and it consists in the! parts and combinations of parts hereinafter j described and claimed.

The object of my invention is to provide means for tensioni'ng the note sheet between application of atmospheric pressure on the sheet at opposite sides of the note openings thereon, for the purpose of insuring unswerving travel of the note sheet and therefore guarding against the edges of the same becoming curled through contact with the end flanges of either roll.

A further object is to produce note sheet uides of simple and inexpensive construction which can be applied easily and cheaply to any of the approved piano players on the market.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, and in which similar reference characters denote corresponding parts, Figure 1, is an elevation of a part of a piano player equipped with note sheet guide mechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 3, is an enlarged section taken on the line llil o't Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a section taken on the line TIL-III of Fig. 2. Fig. 4, is a detail perspective View of one of the end guides. Fig. 5, is a detail perspective view of one of the vacuum chamber blocks.

In the said drawing, 1 andQindicate parts of the frame of a piano player of any suitable type, 3 the winding shat't, l the wind iug roll thereon and '5 the ends or flanges oi" the roll, these ends or flanges being ordinarily adjustable to accxmunodate note sheets of diii'erent width.

Adjacent to and parallel with shaft 3 is the tracker bar (3 of any suitable type, provided with the customary openings 7, the said bar being shown as eitei'idiug from one part 2 to the other. At the opposite .Qirln. of lhe tracker bar from the. winding-i Specification of Letters Eatent.

.gust 724,

FIANG-PL Serial No.

roll are the customary alined sockets F5 an J tor the reception oi the (\Zst'OITiiltfy' stems ot the holding; roli 10 for the note sheet Al PL'OYltlOtl with the taistoniary note o en.- ings 12. I I

Arranged between the tracker bar a the holding roll and preferably secured the former near the exti mitv of the ser' of openings '4'.

are blocks 1?; \v vacuum chan'ibc 1%., and secured, in sa blocks and connn'u;

bcrs are short tubes l5 two in one of said blocks and one in the other block to which are connected preferably a flexible. tube "i i leading to the vacuum chamber (not shown) of the player the other tube 15 being joined by a flexible tube 16 so V player is in operation the will tend to produce chambers 14.

To provioe an intermediate guide tion surface for the note sheet be tracker bar and ti 1. holding roll for stantially the full ltn oi? the beet, metal bar 1'? extends from. one block 1-3 to the other and across and is provided with a in communication with bar '17 being sl" 'lit-ly curved sent a convex face to the note vacuum chambers suction through.

bar 17 is curved back at its longitudinal margins at '19, the blocks being; preferably grooved 20 to receive the longitudinal edges of the said bar and thereby avoid the provision of any raw or sharp edges.

The vacuum chamber blocks 1?) are pro vided in their outer sides with longitudinally extending holes 21, and each block is also provided with a threaded socket 22 wherein are secured set-screws 2? having annular grooves 25 is a pair at end-guides for the blocks 13, provided with inwardly-projectiug; pins '20 to engage holes 21, recesses 37 to fit snugly in the grooves 24 of set screws 23, and said endguides are o such proportion they project beyoml the faces of blocks l3, as shown most clearly in Figs. Q and 3. turning the set screws the ndeuides car be adjusted toward or tron: the blocks 1'3 to dispose the inner faces of aid guides in the planes of the inner laces of the flanges mating with said (filtlltlw hat'as long as too or ends of the rolls t and 10, as shown in Fig. 1, for the purpose of accommodating note sheets of varying-widths.

In operation, the note sheet forms a closure for openings 18 of the bar 17 connecting the vacuum. chamber blocks, so that the atmospheric pressure on the note sheet shall hold the latter frictionally against said bar obvious that such and by thus tending to retard the travel of the note sheet, result in the tensioning of thesame between said bar and the winding roll, span the note sheet shall track perfect'l n on the tracker bar without regard to w et er the note sheet unwinds from the holding roll at a uniform speed or not, that is to say, Without regard to whether slack occurs in the note sheet between the bar 17 and the holding roll. By thus tensioning the note sheet it is caused to travel in a direct line and swerves neither to the right nor to the left. It is thereby prevented from binding on the flanges of the winding -roll and being'curled or doubled over at its side margins.

In ractiee the movement of the note sheet s so accurate that the end-guides 25 really perform no function, the principal object of said guides being to guard against lateral or swerving movement when the note sheet is being rewound upon the holding roll, as at such time no vacuum is produced in the vacuum chamber blocks,though it is purpose could be readily accomplished,

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a note sheet guide for piano players embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable and which is susceptible of modification in minor particulars without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. The combination with a piano player having a tracker bar and a winding roll, of a note sheet holding roll, at the opposite side of the tracker bar from and parallel with thewinding roll, and means for tensioning the note sheet between the winding roll and the holding roll, consisting of a friction surface for engagement by the note sheet near each side margin thereof and between the tracker bar and the holding roll, vacuum mean arranged to exert a suctional action on the side margins of the note sheet to hold the same against said friction surface and tracker bar, and means for rctaining said side margins under the action of said vacuum mean throughout the travel of said sheet.

2. The combination with a piano player having a tracker bar and a winding roll, of a note sheet holdingroll at the opposite side of the tracker bar from and parallel with the winding roll, and means for tensioning the note sheet between the winding roll and the holding roll consisting of a friction surface for engagement by the note sheet near each side margin thereof and between the tracker bar and the holding roll provided with vacuum chambers closed by the note sheet when traveling from the holding to the winding roll.

3. The combination with a piano player having a tracker bar and a winding roll, of a note sheet holding roll at the opposite side of the tracker bar from and parallel with the winding roll, and means for tcnsioningthe note sheet between the winding roll and the holding roll consisting of a friction surface for engagement by the note sheet near each side margin thereof and between the tracker bar and the holding roll provided with an opening near each end,

vvacuum chamber blocks back of said friction surface and in communication with the openings of the latter, and suction tubes communicating with the vacuum chambers of said blocks.

4:. The combination with a piano player having a tracker bar and a winding roll, of a note sheet holding roll at the opposite side of the tracker bar from and parallel with the winding roll, and means for tensioning the note sheet between the winding roll and the holding roll, consisting of a friction surface for engagementby the note sheet near each side margin thereof and between the tracker bar and the holding roll, means and vacuum means in communication with the under face of the sheet where it contacts with the friction surface, and endguides at opposite ends of said friction surface projecting forwardly beyond the face of the same.

5. The combination with a piano player having a tracker bar and a winding roll, of a note sheet holding roll at the opposite side of the tracker bar from and parallel with the winding roll, and means for tensioning the note sheet between the winding roll and the holding roll, consisting of a friction surface for engagement by the note sheet near each .side margin thereof and bctween the tracker bar and the holding roll, and means and vacuum means in comn'uinication with the under faceof the sheet where it contacts with the friction surface, endguides at opposite ends of said friction surface projecting forwardly beyond the face of the same, and means for securingthe said end-guides against or slightly spaced from the extremities of said friction surface.

6. In a piano-player for use in conjunction with a perforated note shcct and provided with a tracker bar, a friction surface for engagen'lent by and over which the per- 'forated note sheet travels, provided with openings disposed in the path of travel of the side margins of the note sheet, a vacuum tube in communication with each of said face of the friction surface, and-each pro openings, and means for causing said side margins to close said openings throughout the travel of said sheet.

7. In a piano-player, a friction surface over which a perforated note sheet is adapted to travel and providedwitli openings always covered by the note sheet when in engagement with the friction surface, endguides carried by and projecting beyond the face of the friction surface, and means for adjusting each end-guide sidewise toward or from the adjacent side margin. of the note sheet.

8. In a pianoplayer a friction surface over which a perforated note sheet is adapted to travel and provided with openings always covered by the note sheet when in engagement with the friction surface, endguides carried by and projecting beyond the vided with a segmental recess in one and suitably-supported adjusting screw each provided with an annular groove receiving the recessed edge of a guide, so that blocks, h a

turning movement of a screw shall impart lateral or sidewise movement to a guide to-- i ward or from the adjacent side margin of the note sheet.

in a piano player, a tracker bar, a winding roll for drawing a note sheet across said bar, vacuum means in the path of travel of theside margins of the note sheet and adjacent the outer face of said bar, and mean for maintaining said side margins subject to the suction of said vacuum means tl'noughout the travel of Said sheet.

10. in a piano player, a tracker bar, a inding roll for drawing a note sheet across said bar, d vacuum blocks in the path of travel of the side n'iargins of the note sheet and adjacent the outer face of said bar, said ring openings closed by the pass ing note sheet, and means for retaining said side margins in position to close said open' ings throughout the travel of said sheet.

in testimony whereof I atlix, my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

il il iialrllif 'l. WAITE.

Wi tnesses FRANK it. GLOVE, (i; Y. Tironrn. 

